Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Saturday approved the renovation of IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja.
The renovation, Wike said will commence with the club house.
The minister gave the approval during an official visit to the club’s Board of Trustees headed by the President Appeal Court, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem.
The development is due to a request by Justice Dongban-Mensem that the club had become worn out due to excessive use and little maintenance since it was opened to play in 1991.
Wike disclosed that Julius Berger would handle the renovation of the club house as the construction firm was the same company that built the golf course years back.
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The minister cautioned members of the club using covet means to take over the golf club to steer clear, insisting it remained the property of government.
Wike said; “You know I’m not a golfer. This is my first time of coming here and I have had some interest. My interest is, this is the property of government and I’m very proud for you to manage. When I came here, I was quite impressed. Like you said, there are so many countries made by tourism.
“And if you have people like today, they have an ECOWAS meeting taking place. Now, there may be golfers who want to come and play golf. It’s very key. And that’s why we will not allow anybody to take what belongs to us. We will not allow that. Government is not a good manager”.
The minister said the restoration of the golf course was what anybody who had good taste and meant well for the country would encourage, adding that it is better to renovate the place, open it up and not allow it to degenerate.
“So that when people come in, they have where they can laugh at the club and have their drinks and the rest of the thing. I would take it as part of the emergency that we must do,” he said.
Earlier, Dongban-Mensem had appealed for the upgrading of the golf course in the same way the government had renovated the International Conference Centre.